"8 Million Strong and Voting!" Small business is the heart beat of the United States economy. This blog searches for issues and answers to helping small business survive and thrive in California and the United States.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Small Business California passed a bill last year regarding the labeling of Made in California. At the end of the session the author added an amendment that was very troubling. It said that the business had to have 100% of the product made in the USA . The only exclusion to this is packaging.

It is really important you answer the questions below. It is hard to move forward on implementing this if it doesn't benefit many businesses.

Are you a California-based manufacturer?

If yes, do you produce any products that are 100% made in the USA? (For purposes of this survey, “100% made in the USA” includes labor and all product materials. It does not include packaging.)If yes, please describe products ___________________________________.

If yes, please describe how you are able to confirm that your supply chain consists only of USA-made labor, parts, and materials_____________________________.

If yes, would you be interested in being part of a 100% made in the USA label to brand and market your product(s)? YES / NO

If your products are not currently 100% made in the USA, what approximate share of total value is made in the USA? (For purposes of this survey, product value includes labor and all product materials materials. It does not include packaging.) _______________.

Would you be interested in adjusting your supply chain to fit a 100% made in the USA standard if a 100% made in the USA label were available?

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Small Business California is sponsoring a bill to help small businesses get equity capital. It is a well-known fact that start ups and other small businesses that want to get equity under $1 million have a lot of problems. This bill will help these businesses by streamlining the process and provide investor protections that are not in the Federal JOBS act.

I am excited to tell you that AB 2096 passed in the Assembly Banking and Finance committee yesterday with an 11 to 0 vote.

Next stop, Appropriations!

We had a great deal of help with this from about 20 small business associations around the state. For more information go to www.leginfo.ca.gov.

One final note, Lee Petillon former board member, worked on this bill for three years. Mark Hiraide was his partner and he has been the driving force on this. We have named it the Lee Petillon bill. I am sure he is smiling down on us. Business Week came out today with information about the effect the sales tax has had in the 10 states where Amazon is required to collect sales tax. As you know California is one of those states.

“In states that have the tax, households reduced their spending on Amazon by about 10 percent compared to those in states that don’t have the levy. For online purchases of more than $300, sales fell by 24 percent, according to the report titled “The Amazon Tax.”

Small Business California worked hard to get this legislation passed. To continue reading the article on Businessweek, click here.

Friday, April 18, 2014

*Accidentally we initially put David Chiu, but that was a typo. Supervisor David Chiu has been a wonderful friend and supporter of small businesses.I don’t usually write about local issues but I think what is happening on the minimum wage in SF is going to mushroom around the state. The minimum wage now is $10.74. I think this is the highest in the country except for SeaTac in Washington which is $15. It is expected that a couple of measures will be on the November ballot. The SEIU has taken out papers to increase the minimum wage to $13 come January 2015. In 2016, businesses with over 100 employees will be required to pay $15 and those under 100 will go to $14. In 2017 businesses under 100 will go to $15. From there every year will have a cost of living adjustment.

The Mayor is expected to also put forth a measure increasing the minimum wage to $15 or $16 but over a longer period of time. The timelines are not known. How would this impact your business? Are you hearing about increases in your area?Supervisor David Campos has introduced legislation to change the current SF Health Care Ordinance. All businesses with 20 or more employees will be required to purchase health insurance for all employees working 8 hours or more or pay annually into a City fund or another fund that meets Affordable Care Act regulations. For businesses with 20 to 99 employees the amount is $1.66 per hour per employee. For businesses with 100 or more employees the amount would be $2.44. Both are increased annually by the cost of living increase. These amounts mentioned above would have to be put into the fund in cash and is irrevocable, meaning the employee has the availability of this money until it is used up.Scott HaugePresidentSmall Business California2311 Taraval StreetSan Francisco, CA 94116shauge@cal-insure.com415-680-2188

I don’t usually write about local issues but I think what is happening on the minimum wage in SF is going to mushroom around the state. The minimum wage now is $10.74. I think this is the highest in the country except for SeaTac in Washington which is $15. It is expected that a couple of measures will be on the November ballot. The SEIU has taken out papers to increase the minimum wage to $13 come January 2015. In 2016, businesses with over 100 employees will be required to pay $15 and those under 100 will go to $14. In 2017 businesses under 100 will go to $15. From there every year will have a cost of living adjustment.

The Mayor is expected to also put forth a measure increasing the minimum wage to $15 or $16 but over a longer period of time. The timelines are not known. How would this impact your business? Are you hearing about increases in your area?

Supervisor David Chiu has introduced legislation to change the current SF Health Care Ordinance. All businesses with 20 or more employees will be required to purchase health insurance for all employees working 8 hours or more or pay annually into a City fund or another fund that meets Affordable Care Act regulations. For businesses with 20 to 99 employees the amount is $1.66 per hour per employee. For businesses with 100 or more employees the amount would be $2.44. Both are increased annually by the cost of living increase. These amounts mentioned above would have to be put into the fund in cash and is irrevocable, meaning the employee has the availability of this money until it is used up.

About Me

Small Business California is a proactive, non-partisan business advocate whose only agenda is the well being of California’s 3.2 million small businesses. Working for all small businesses for a better business environment, SB-Cal is responsive to the needs of small business owners.
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